


square

by daisylincs



Series: Agents of Birthdays [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Agents of Birthdays, Both of them, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Gift Fic, Happy Birthday AnxiouslyNumb!!, Relationship Introspective, Spoilers for s07e13: What We're Fighting For, because they deserve all happiness, birthday fic, fluff and cuteness, missing moment, specifically - Dousy spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:56:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26250781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisylincs/pseuds/daisylincs
Summary: After the dramatic and exhausting events of the finale, Daisy takes a moment just to breathe, relax, and reflect on why she likes Daniel Sousa so much.
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Series: Agents of Birthdays [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886911
Comments: 23
Kudos: 110





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**Author's Note:**

  * For [AnxiouslyNumb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnxiouslyNumb/gifts).



> Birthday buddy!! 😍😍😍 I’ve never known someone with the same birthday as me before, and it’s actually such a cool feeling! It definitely helps that we get along like a house on fire, lol.
> 
> I’m going to take a little trip through memory lane right now, since it _is_ our birthday today - the first time we came into contact was when I had just seen 7x01, and I was gushily going through everyone’s thoughts and metas. I found yours, and I remember just thinking _wow,_ I agree with every word of this!! 
> 
> Once we got talking, it turned out we have even more in common - this birthday, for one! No, I’m still not over that, lol. But I am so glad I found that post of yours, because chatting and speculating with you over AoS has been nothing short of incredible. We do have different opinions sometimes, of course, but on the whole when I talk to you, I’m just _filled_ with that bubbly, delighted feeling of “oh my gosh, EXACTLY!!” 
> 
> I know you said I didn’t have to write you anything for your birthday, but I really wanted to, because you are _amazing_ \- and you also played a pretty big role in getting me to ship Daisy and Sousa. Your fic _Tell Me It’s Okay_ \- just, chef’s kiss. That thing is absolutely _incredible,_ really. So I thought it would be quite poetic to share my take on Canon Daisy and Sousa with you today. 
> 
> To finish: I hope you have an absolutely _amazing_ birthday, and all my love to you on this day we share!!

Daisy walked through the silent grey corridors of the Lighthouse, her body still buzzing a little from the energy Kora had given her earlier that day. The base was deserted, everyone off catching some much-needed shut-eye in their rooms, but Daisy wasn’t tired. She felt… energised - which, she supposed, she was.

It was a little strange, actually, to feel _refreshed_ after another saving-the-world stint - she was used to being dead-on-her-feet exhausted by the time she got here. 

One of the perks of having a superpowered sister, she supposed.

 _Sister._

She still wasn’t used to the idea of having a sister, a biological sister - and one who was actually on her side to boot.

Was Kora her younger sister or her older sister, anyway? Going by their dates of birth, Kora was older - but in actual age, Daisy was.

Okay, yeah, it was hella confusing. But she saw a lot of herself in the other woman, which meant that if someone believed in her, Kora could become something truly special.

She was willing to believe in her sister.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t even notice where she had wandered until she saw the door to one of the bunks standing open, a familiar blue shirt folded over the chair.

Already feeling a small smile tugging at her lips, Daisy tiptoed over to the door, keeping her steps quiet so she wouldn’t wake him. Resting one hand on the door-frame, she peeped into the room.

Sousa was stretched out on the bunk, fast asleep with one arm thrown out over the blankets, his expression every kind of exhausted.

She didn’t blame him. Saving the world was extremely tiring, even if you _were_ used to it. 

This time just happened to be an exception for her.

She hesitated in the doorway, wondering if it would be some kind of invasion if she went in. They hadn’t really had the chance to talk about, well, _them_ just yet, and anyway, people thought about privacy and propriety differently in the ’50s. 

She tapped her fingers lightly against the wood of the door, undecided. Even if she did go in, what was she going to do, exactly? Sit in a chair and watch him sleep? 

Sousa shifted slightly in his sleep, a brief flicker crossing his face before his expression softened into a small smile, and the sight was enough to send a soft warmth flooding through Daisy’s chest.

She made her decision quickly and walked into the room, picking up the shirt and placing it carefully on top of his bag before pulling the chair over to the bed. 

He looked so peaceful in his sleep, with that small smile still playing faintly on his lips.

She wondered, fleetingly, what he was dreaming about. Probably something unbelievably square-y, like helping out all his friends, or whatever.

She shook her head fondly, surprising herself a little with how much affection there was behind the gesture.

There had been a time where she had thought she wouldn’t ever be ready to open herself up to something like this again. But Sousa was… Sousa was different.

He really was a square, but in the best way possible. He was kind, and genuine, and so _compassionate_ she didn’t know what to do with him sometimes. It was like he didn’t know _how_ to be anything other than genuinely and sincerely _nice._

And the thing was - Daisy could see herself waking up next to him and watching him just like she was doing now in quiet moments for… for the rest of her life. 

The thought should scare her. She wasn’t someone who had ever made a habit of seeing good futures for herself - she knew all too well that the moment you thought something like that, it got ripped away.

Well. That was what she _used_ to know. 

SHIELD - her family - had taught her differently. They had taught her that not everyone left, not everyone let you down. 

And Sousa was definitely one of those people who would _never_ let you down. He was just so… square.

She kept looping back to that word when it came to him, but it was just such a _good_ description of him! He was solid, and dependable - the kind of person you could rely on to be _there_ for you no matter what.

It had been a long, long time since she had felt anything like this warm affection that was fluttering in her belly - but after everything she had gone through, after all the times she had saved her friends and her world, she really thought she deserved this.

She deserved that someone who would be there for her, no matter what. She deserved these quiet moments where no-one was in danger, where nothing was going to blow up to infinity and beyond, where everything was just _right._ She deserved that future she could see with Sousa, easy and comfortable and warm. 

It had taken her a long time to see that, but she really did deserve it.

And she wanted it.

She should probably start calling him _Daniel_ for starters, she reflected, feeling her lips tug up a little in amusement. She was thinking about a _future_ with him, for God’s sake - they were definitely past the surname-basis stage.

But the thing about Sousa - about _Daniel_ \- was that no matter what happened, no matter what she called him, in her head or otherwise, he would be there for her. 

It was such a warm, comfortable feeling - and she could have sat there basking in it for _ages._

Actually, she might have done just that. She wasn’t too sure how long she had been sitting there, just watching him and letting herself soak up the warmth of the moment - it could have been hours, or it could have been just minutes. This feeling - of simple and complete _contentment,_ the knowledge that everything was good, and that she could let herself just _be_ \- wasn’t one that she was used to. It filled her up completely… and it made her a little iffy on judging time. 

So when Sousa - _Daniel,_ she reminded herself, _Daniel_ \- sat up, blinking and looking puzzled, she had no idea how much time had passed. 

“I thought I heard - Daisy?” he said, eyes widening when he caught sight of her.

She offered him a little wave, her smile warm. “Hi.”

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” he asked, getting this little cleft between his eyebrows as he frowned up at her.

Of _course_ that was what he thought of first. She felt a rush of affection as she watched him - how many other men would wake up to find their crush sitting in their room and think of _her_ well-being first?

“I’m not tired,” she explained, gesturing down at herself. “Kora’s energy boost took care of that as well, apparently.”

“Oh,” he said, still with that little furrow in his brow that she found unexpectedly and entirely adorable. “So you thought you’d come and see me?”

His eyebrows shot up as he finished processing through that thought. “Wait… were you watching me sleep?”

“Hey, you were guilty of the same thing eighty-nine times,” she defended playfully, feeling a small smile tugging at her lips. 

“Eighty-nine times?!” he asked incredulously.

She was full-on grinning now. “That we know of.”

His jaw dropped. “That we… Come on, you’re having me on.”

“I swear I’m not!” she said, her grin widening as she held up her hands as if to say, _it’s true!_

“Next thing I know, you’ll be telling me we kissed in the time loops, or something,” he grumbled.

Daisy almost choked on a laugh. “Er…”

He caught her gaze, and his jaw dropped again. “No. No!”

“Yep,” she said, popping the _p_ and feeling like she might explode from grinning so much.

“This is unbelievable,” he grumbled, glaring down at the blankets in his lap. “I honestly cannot believe this.”

Daisy swallowed her laughter and stood up from her chair, padding over to the bed and settling down next to him. 

“Do you regret it at all?” she asked quietly.

He glanced up at her, and his whole face seemed to soften. “Never,” he said softly, leaning forward to brush a curl of hair behind her ear with aching tenderness.

“Good,” Daisy whispered, leaning forward until their faces were a breath apart, their noses brushing. 

Daniel smiled up at her, his forehead pressed against hers, his hand coming up to cradle her cheek.

She returned the smile - feeling a little warm glow at how naturally his first name came to mind now - then she closed the last distance between them and kissed him, soft and slow. 

He kissed her back immediately, long and lingering, and unlike their last kisses, there was no rush to this one - no niggling thought in the back of her mind that she was on the clock, she had a world to save.

It was just _them,_ careful and gentle and exploring, cautiously getting to know each other in the language of lips and soft touches. 

And she really thought - _eureka._

She had found her happy ending.


End file.
